Cream Of The Crop

Spring seems to be dragging its feet around here. One day it’s warm, the next day it’s cool, while the night’s plunge into the low 40’s and occasionally the 30’s. It looks like our tomato planting is put off another week. Those 2600 little darlings will just have to wait it out in the hoop house until the night temperatures warm up.

The good news is that the rain and warm daytime temperatures are wonderful for glorious spring asparagus! Do I see a pattern here? Wasn’t I just making a pronouncement last week that it’s one of the few vegetables I will only use fresh? Well, that was last week. We bought 10 pounds to put up, taking full advantage of fresh Michigan asparagus while it’s plentiful now; and boy is it ever! Nearly every stall at the farmer’s market is overflowing with the stuff. I know that we will be reminded of our favorite veggie in this wonderful cream soup long after the season is over.

There are many approaches to asparagus soup, but typically the essentials involve asparagus, onions or leeks and chicken stock. With spring leeks available, that choice was a no-brainer. However the addition of garlic, fresh spring tarragon and vermouth kick it up a notch. And of course there’s the cream. Honestly, it’s decadence is worth the calories!

Cream of Asparagus Soup:

2 lbs. fresh asparagus

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter

4 small leeks, using white and light green parts only, thinly sliced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup dry vermouth

4 cups chicken stock

1 Tbsp. fresh tarragon, minced

1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

3/4 cup heavy cream

Directions:

Snap off the tough stem ends from the asparagus spears. Cut the tips off a dozen or so and set aside for garnish. Chop the remaining asparagus into 1 inch pieces.

In a small saucepan, blanch the asparagus tips for 2 minutes, then plunge into ice water. Let drain on paper towels. Reserve for later.

In a heavy soup pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the leeks and garlic and saute until tender and translucent, about 3-4 minutes.

Fragrant leeks and garlic

Getting better all the time

Add the asparagus and 4 cups of chicken stock. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the chopped tarragon. Cover and cook for about 20 minutes.

Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth, about 2 minutes. Alternately, you can puree the soup in batches in a blender, then return to the pot. Add lemon juice and heavy cream. Reheat the soup to serving temperature. Ladle in shallow bowls and garnish with reserved asparagus tips.

Tip: This soup is also great cold, so pack it for your next lunch if you’re luck enough to have leftovers.